Residents Rap Work On Schools

March 20, 1985|The Morning Call

The Palmerton Area School Board received comments last night from about 15 people opposed to wide-ranging alterations and additions to district buildings that will cause an estimated 34-mill hike in taxes over the next three years.

About 200 school district residents and interested citizens attended the public hearing, and no one voiced any strong comments in favor of the plan.

Larry Koons of Palmerton R.1, a school district resident, told thegroup 56 percent of the people in the district are paying one-third of the taxes, while 44 percent are paying two-thirds. He asked the school board why the Carbon County commissioners are not reassessing property to make a more equal distributions of taxes.

Attorney James Wimmer, school district solicitor, told Koons that the school board has asked the commissioners the past five years for a reassessment and added that none has come.

Steve Konek, another district resident, asked why school buildings were neglected and who was responsible for it. Ralph Cortazzo, school board president, told Konek that in the six years he has been on the board, there has not been much tax increase and added that the schools are losing heat "like it's going out of style."

He added that there has been poor management in the past, but said because there has been very little tax increase, "everyone was happy while the schools were deteriorating."

Randolph Getz, district resident, said his taxes will go up 25 percent in two years and said, "Higher taxes will drive growth out the district. Getz said a study showed that the student population will decrease.

Patricia Koons, a district resident for six years, said her taxes have gone up 30 mills in that time, and asked what she could look forward to in the future. Cortazzo told her that her taxes will probably continue to go up.